Veto

In response to your editorial "Vetoing a Sham" (Feb. 19) with quotes from columnist James J. Kilpatrick against a presidential line-item veto: I agree that presidential power has grown excessively toward making an "Imperial Presidency" and the line-item veto, if not offset, would increase it abominably. However, the omnibus budget measures the Congress sends to the President make him pass some revolting items. A line-item veto has some merit. It isn't that a President actually vetoes enough measures to make a great difference; his greater power is in the threat of vetoing measures.

Gary Vitti's workspace at the Lakers' training facility is surrounded by a life-size skeleton, detailed charts of the human muscular system and books about tendons and ligaments. Lots of books. The medical library came in handy this season as the Lakers suffered a continual string of injuries, the worst in Vitti's 30 years as their trainer. A few days before his 60th birthday, Vitti sat down with The Times for a candid interview on how Kobe Bryant will look next season, why the Lakers were ailing all season and the recent outbursts of angry Lakers fans.

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney has pledged to veto the so-called DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants if they attend college or serve in the military. Romney made the comments during a late campaign stop New Year's Eve in northwestern Iowa. “The answer is yes,” he said, when asked if he would veto the legislation if Congress passes it and he is in the White House. Romney said, however, that he would support granting children of illegal immigrants some form of residency in exchange for military service.

WASHINGTON - Russia stood alone Saturday in vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution declaring illegal a Russian-sponsored referendum on whether Crimea should secede from Ukraine. In an illustration of Russia's isolation on the issue, 13 council members voted for the U.S.-sponsored resolution at the session in New York. China, which almost always allies itself with Russia on council votes, abstained. It has been clear for days that the resolution would be vetoed. But U.S. officials and allies pushed ahead with it to put Moscow in a difficult spot in hopes of convincing it not to annex Crimea following the Sunday referendum.

House Speaker John Boehner's proposal to raise the federal debt ceiling took fire from on all sides Tuesday, with the White House raising the prospect of a veto while presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann condemned it. The attacks came as Boehner, along with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, struggled to round up votes in support of the proposal in advance of a hoped-for vote later in the week. At midday, it appeared the bill still didn't have enough GOP votes to pass the House.

SACRAMENTO--Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday vetoed a bill a that would have expanded the availability of condoms in state prisons. The measure, by Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), would have required the state corrections department to develop a five-year plan to make condoms available in every California prison. Supporters of the measure argued that distributing condoms would help reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among inmates, who have higher rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, taking aim at what remained of a deficit-cutting package drafted by Democrats, said Tuesday he planned to veto $1.1 billion in projected savings realized largely through cuts to public transit. Democratic lawmakers had approved the measure as part of a package they said would have addressed $4 billion of California's estimated $20-billion deficit. Combined with Schwarzenegger's veto last week of a larger component of the plan, the announcement puts Capitol politicians back at square one on the deficit.

June 17, 2011 | By Shane Goldmacher and Anthony York, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Sacramento and Los Angeles -- Gov. Jerry Brown issued a historic veto of the budget approved by Democratic lawmakers hours after they passed it, opening wide a rift within his own party and throwing the state's financial future into limbo. The Democrats had pushed through the spending plan Wednesday, relying heavily on crafty accounting to patch over the state's deficit, after the governor's talks with Republicans on a tax package faltered. On Thursday morning, Brown called the budget "unbalanced.

By a 401-26 vote, the House overrode President Reagan's veto of a bill authorizing $20 billion through 1994 for federal clean-water programs, including $18 billion to help communities build sewage-treatment facilities. The Senate followed suit and the measure (HR 1) became law. Arlan Stangeland (R-Minn.) who voted to override the veto, said, "I believe President Reagan has listened to the wrong advice on clean water." Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.

Wilson's veto of AB 101, after he earlier promised support, is merely the latest example of a man who lacks both character and integrity. His flimsy and transparent excuse that it might hurt small businesses says in effect that he condones discrimination by these small businesses. He easily discards the human beings who will and are harmed by his spinelessness. MITCHELL SULLIVAN Laguna Beach

TUCSON - Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced Wednesday she would not seek a third term, forgoing a campaign that would have required her to challenge the state's term limits measure. The Republican had left open the option of running this year, despite the overwhelming weight of legal opinion against it. She became governor in 2009 when Democrat Janet Napolitano left office to join President Obama's Cabinet, and Brewer won reelection the following year. The state limits governors to two terms, and most legal experts said her first partial term counted toward the limit.

Re "A clear message in Arizona veto," News Analysis, Feb. 28 The Times explains the motives behind Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's veto of the anti-gay bill recently passed by the state's legislature. Prominent Republicans urged Brewer to veto the bill because of the need to focus on the economy rather than divisive social issues, which could hurt the party in the November midterm elections. What they didn't make a big deal about was that the bill was bad because it was mean-spirited and bigoted.

There were a lot of very good reasons for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto that obnoxiously discriminatory law that would have allowed businesses to not serve gays -- or anyone else -- if the owner believed something about the person -- sexual orientation, race -- offended his or her religion. We've detailed many of those good arguments against the bill in blog posts and on the editorial page . Of course, the cynical read of the situation is that Brewer's decision was based on political pragmatism rather than a principled stand against discrimination.

A bill has landed on the desk of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer that local business leaders and others fear might cost the state next year's Super Bowl. Conceived by a conservative advocacy group and a Christian legal organization, Senate Bill 1062 would allow businesses to cite religious beliefs in refusing service to gay people and others. Brewer has until Saturday to either veto, sign or ignore it. The Arizona Super Bowl host committee joined the many groups against the bill. "On that matter we have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential," the committee said . "We do not support this legislation.

TUCSON - In a victory hailed by gay rights advocates, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have bolstered a business owner's right to refuse service to gays and others on the basis of religion. The veto, delivered the same day a federal judge struck down a law against same-sex marriage in Texas, came amid an intense national outcry by the gay community, its supporters, business owners and Arizona political leaders. "Senate Bill 1062 does not address a specific and present concern related to religious liberty in Arizona," Brewer said in televised remarks from Phoenix.

Apple is urging Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto a bill that would make it possible for business owners to use their religious beliefs as a reason to deny service to gays and lesbians. The Cupertino tech giant weighed in on the matter because it now conducts business in the state. Late last year, Apple announced plans to open a manufacturing plant in Mesa, Ariz. News reports have suggested that the plant may be used to make the screens for the company's next iPhone. An Apple spokeswoman confirmed to the Associated Press the company had reached out directly to Brewer about vetoing Arizona SB 1062.

There were a lot of very good reasons for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto that obnoxiously discriminatory law that would have allowed businesses to not serve gays -- or anyone else -- if the owner believed something about the person -- sexual orientation, race -- offended his or her religion. We've detailed many of those good arguments against the bill in blog posts and on the editorial page . Of course, the cynical read of the situation is that Brewer's decision was based on political pragmatism rather than a principled stand against discrimination.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday credited Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) for making "the right decision" with her veto of the so-called "birther bill," which would have required presidential candidates to submit their birth certificates in order to qualify for the ballot. On Monday Brewer vetoed House Bill 2177, which would have required parties nominating candidates for president to submit documents that "prove that the candidate is a natural born citizen. " In her veto message , she called the bill "a bridge too far. " "This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for the state of Arizona," Brewer, a former secretary of state there, wrote.

TUCSON - When Arizona took controversial stands in the past - refusing to create a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and enacting a tough anti-illegal immigration law - state leaders shrugged off the criticism from out of state as the meddling of outsiders. But now, after the Legislature passed a measure to bolster the rights of business owners to refuse service to gays and others on the basis of religion, Arizona leaders seem to be listening to a national outcry and are urging the governor to veto the bill.